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Strategic Allies Ltd. posted this Technology Call

Our client is an established European manufacturer of speciality polyols, glycols and polyolefin-based materials for use in technically demanding and often niche applications. Polyolefins (POs) are versatile plastics with good physical and chemical properties (e.g. lightweight, transparent, mechanical, flexibility and weather resistance), and as such are used in a wide variety of industries. Polyols and glycols are intermediates used for the manufacture of materials such as polyurethane (e.g. for adhesive or foams). The client’s materials are considered specialised grades (not commodity materials) and are often used in emerging markets and for new applications; they are also supported by excellent customer service. However, these materials are now required to provide enhanced performance to justify their continuing use and increasingly require a simplified route to recycling and potential reuse. The client therefore wishes to provide step-change functionality in the manufacture of specific polyols and polyolefin materials by simplifying the creation, manufacturing and end of life processing, in addition to ways to differentiate their materials providing enhanced material performance for their customers. This could include enabling use of these plastic materials in applications previously not covered (i.e. replacing wood / metal / concrete / glass). Polymers of interest include: ▪ Polyolefin-based (PO) materials: - Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and Ethylene butyl acrylate (EBA) - Polyethylene – high and low density (HDPE and LDPE/LLDPE) - Polypropylene (PP) copolymers ▪ Polyol- / Glycol- based materials

Organization from European Union posted this Technology Call

We are seeking for molecules/compounds/materials which are chemically composed of two opposite parts (see Fig.). The first part of such molecules has a hyperbranched/dendrimer-like/fork shape. The second part (which is geometrically opposit to the first) is a moiety which will favour attachement. The attachment on the skin or hair surface could be generated by adhesion, covalent bonding, electrostatic attachment etc. For instance such latter moieity could react with free amines present on the hair fibers (more attachment points on the skin and hair could be considered, e.g. hydroxyl groups). Lactone groups are an example reported in literature of a reactive moiety which upon heat application can bound to the free amine of the hair. Once bounded to the skin/hair such molecules will work as molecular spacers. The molecules need to be neutrally charged, rigid, branched and have a low particle density (number of atoms in a physical volume). They will therefore decrease the interaction (e.g. Van der Walls attactions) between external particles (such as sand or dust) and the functionalized surface. Example: N-Glycans are an example of such molecular spacers and an example of desired geometrical structure. Glycan with 5 Mannose units for instance will occupy a Volume of 2.25 x 1.65 x 1.24nm with 162 atoms, which lead to a particle density of 35 x 10(^27) atoms/m^3. Such lower particle density will lead to a reduction of the Hamaker-interaction coeffiecint between the funcitonalized surface and an approaching particle. Such molecule will therefore lead to a decrease of the friction coefficient and adhesion forces.
Seeking hyperbranched, non charged, short molecules/dendrimers able to be coupled to keratinous surfaces